Stage is set for thousands to attend Lancaster festival

Thousands of people will descend on Lancaster this weekend for the three-day Highest Point music festival in Williamson Park.

Organisers say up to 25,000 festival-goers are expected to attend the inaugural event between Friday May 18 and Sunday May 20.

Free daytime tickets have all been snapped up, but there are still tickets available for the evening events.

There will be live music from bands such as Ocean Colour Scene, Cast, Embrace and Hacienda Classical, as well as DJs, theatre and art installations, a beer hall and street food catering for many tastes.

Around one third of festival-goers are due to attend from out of town, providing a huge boost for hotels, pubs and restaurants in the city over the weekend too.

Festival organiser Jamie Scahill said that he would be announcing plans for a second Highest Point at Williamson Park later this year.

He said yesterday: “The site has come together really quickly over the last few days.

“The main stage at the foot of the Ashton Memorial is up, as are the stages at The Dell and at the top of the memorial.

“Tickets have sold really well since last weekend.

“Lancaster is well known for buying tickets late, and this has been the case with Highest Point.

“Altogether there will be around 250 staff working in various capacities over the weekend, and we’ve made sure there are more bars than are needed following feedback from the Hacienda Classical event in 2016.”

Much of the park will be open during the day, and Jamie said he recommended people having a wander around to see what else the festival has to offer.

“We’re using the observatory area, where there will be a woodland village,” he said.

“There will be story-tellers, walkabout theatre, and buskers, so I encourage people to go and explore some of the park’s 54 acres. We’ll also be screening the royal wedding live on a big screen on the steps of the Ashton Memorial on Saturday afternoon, and there will be a few surprises there too.

“We just want people to come and have a great time and enjoy the music and the beauty of the park.”

Entry to the festival is via the Wyresdale Road side of Williamson Park. There is a designated car park at the North West Auction Mart in Wyresdale Road at a cost of £5 per day.

The event opens at 4pm on Friday.

The daytime events on Saturday and Sunday start at 9am until 3pm.

The site will be cleared, and those attending the evening event will need to re-enter with tickets via the Wyresdale Road entrance.